Bayelsa poll: Lokpobiri, Lyon not working for Diri – Nabena

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Yekini Nabena, has urged the public to disregard media reports suggesting that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, and 2019 governorship candidate, David Lyon, are working for Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nabena, who is the Secretary, Media and Publicity Committee of his party’s National Gubernatorial Campaign Council for Bayelsa State, maintained that all suggestions of a crack in the camp of the candidate of APC in Bayelsa were a ruse.

According to reports, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed November 11 for the governorship election in the state.

Responding to the media reports in a statement issued on Monday, Nabena described the report as propaganda sponsored by the PDP camp to cause disaffection within the APC.

It was reported in some dailies that an alliance between Diri and Lokpobiri, with Lyon, had been formed.

“Our attention has been drawn to sponsored propaganda in some quarters suggesting cracks in the solid camp of the Bayelsa APC ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the State.

“We will not be distracted because we are fully aware how desperate the incumbent governor Douye Diri has become, therefore employing all manners of tactics including propaganda and lies just to cause confusion but sadly for the PDP, it is just too late because Bayelsans have made up their minds to sack under-developer of an oil-rich state.

“For the benefit of the doubt, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the 2019 governorship candidate, David Lyon, most recently held a strategic meeting with our candidate in the presence of our National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, where everyone recommitted themselves and massive mobilisation has since begun.

“We, however, sympathise with the restless Governor Diri and his camp for acting too late, bearing in mind that their days are numbered in the Bayelsa state government House.

“We urge all our party members, supporters and Byelsans in general to remain calm, expectant of landslide victory and disregard lies suggesting cracks in our camp,” Nabena said.